HVAC/R Recommendations: COVID-19 Update 4/5/2020

HVAC/R Recommendations: COVID-19 Update 4/5/2020

The growing COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve, with new data and guidelines from Federal and Health institutions arriving almost daily. Here at RESSAC, we are assessing that data daily. We will be providing you with the latest industry recommendations and updates, so that you can leverage your HVAC/R equipment to your advantage until normal operations can resume.

With so many changing variables, we know it’s easy to forget about your HVAC system right now. But your air conditioners are tools under your control. They can be leveraged to help you save on energy costs and improve critical air quality for your employees still providing essential service.

Start by assessing your current needs. Are your locations open, closed, or on partial duty? You can lower your energy costs by matching your thermostat settings to your updated hours. Most modern thermostats have programming options, and a technician can adjust the times and set points for you. (If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, call us to have one installed.)

If you have an Energy Management System (EMS) such as Gridpoint, NexRev, Novar or Transformative Wave, those changes can be made remotely. In their most recent blog post, Gridpoint breaks down the recommended light commercial settings, also providing several great safety tips. While primarily geared toward restaurants, these can be applied to other business locations.

Once your energy usage is addressed, focus on indoor air quality. The CDC is recommending increased ventilation rates and outdoor air circulating in your HVAC system. A more detailed breakdown of the benefits can be found in this article from our friends at Transformative Wave. One of our HVAC technicians can manually adjust your outdoor air ventilation if your site isn’t controlled by any EMS. But if you do have EMS installed, we highly recommend reaching out to your EMS vendor.

Now, more than ever, we encourage all our customers to reach out to us for any HVAC/R questions. Speak to one of our Customer Support staff to determine what adjustments can be made for your system today, 800-273-7710 x1.